Grinch Steals Cancer Patient’s Donation Jar

Surveillance video shows a man walking off with a collection jar for a cancer patient in Crestwood. (CBS)

CRESTWOOD, Ill. (CBS) — It’s a theft that has one Crestwood family asking: Why?

Surveillance video at a Crestwood convenience store shows a male customer paying for items before swiping a collection jar and casually walking out the door.

The collection jar was supposed to raise money for 28-year-old Kelly Stawicki, who is battling stage-3 colon cancer. The unemployed patient is uninsured and has racked up tens of thousands of dollars in hospital bills, her stepfather tells CBS 2.

Stawicki’s family is shocked at the theft.

“I’d tell him it’s like the lowest thing you could do. If your child was sick like that, how would you like it if somebody stole it?” Kelly’s aunt, Claudette Bernatowicz, says.

People with information about the suspect should call Crestwood police at (708) 385 5131.